


Family Secrets

by EquinoxWolf



Category: Star Fox Series
Genre: Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, F/M, Family Drama, Family Secrets, Implied Sexual Content, Kursed timeline, Mild Language, Telepathy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:26:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25796614
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EquinoxWolf/pseuds/EquinoxWolf
Summary: Secrets are not safe in a family of telepaths. That is a lesson that Kursed learns the hard way.
Relationships: Krystal/Fox McCloud
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	1. Gifted and Talented

**Author's Note:**

> The truth gets harder to face the longer you nurture the lies. Like a weed, deception will choke you if allowed to flourish. The only way to heal is to pull it out by the roots.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Upon learning that his son has developed extrasensory powers, Fox feels the floodgates open around him and threaten disaster upon his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> G'day, all. Before we get started, I'd like to manage some expectations and inform you that I have not personally played a lot of Star Fox games. I have, however, read a lot of wikis and watched enough playthroughs to understand the Star Fox universe and make this story as aligned as possible to the canon. That being said, if you notice any factual mistakes, I've made please let me know and I'll make adjustments as required.
> 
> The following is a non-profit fan fiction. The Star Fox series is owned by Nintendo, Shigeru Miyamoto, and their respective development partners. Please support the official release (even though Command threw Fox and Krystal's relationship into the meat grinder and I'm now making hamburgers with it).

The coach’s whistle screamed across the football field. Young boys converged together in two opposing teams. The brown ball disappeared in the tussle, passing from one player to the next. Bodies collided and fell. A dozen voices called out over each other in an indecipherable squabble.

Fox watched from the sidelines. A grin stretched his muzzle as the ball found its ways into the hands of a blue tod. The boy ran towards the goalpost, easily outrunning the less athletic of the other kids. Three were closing in on him, though.

“Come on, Marcus!” Fox shouted. “Run for it!” The few other parents beside him cried out to their own kids, encouraging them with as much intensity.

His blue kit, Marcus, sprinted like the devil was after him. One of his pursuers reached out for him. Just as the greyhound was about to lunge, Marcus suddenly veered out of his path. The other boy caught nothing but air, landing flat across the grass.

The two remaining kids then caught up. Marcus leaped back as the larger bull calf tried to tackle him. The boy was certain that he would bowl Marcus over and his momentum carried him too far. The third child, a dingo, saw the opportunity to come up from behind. As if by magic, Marcus sidestepped out of his clutches. He then sprinted hard again for the end of the field. Before either the bull or the dingo could make a second attempt, Marcus dived past the goalpost and the coach blew his whistle.

“Touchdown!”

Fox whooped with both fists pumped into the air. Marcus’s teammates cheered him on as though he had won them the big game. Even his rivals clapped him on the back, impressed by his skill. All the while, Marcus wore the widest grin on his face.

“Alright! Let’s pack it in!” the coach called. The kids lined up in front of him. “Great work today, boys. Keep this up and the next game is ours for the taking. Garcia; Jackman; Reinard; I want to see that same tenacity from you next Saturday; got it? Murphy, watch your distance next time you make a tackle like that. You’ll only get one shot when it comes down to the wire. Make it count.”

“Yes, Coach!” the four boys chanted.

“That’s what I like to hear!” the coach nodded. “Alright, off you go. See you all same time next week.”

Fox walked up to greet his son. He ruffled Marcus’s sweaty fur, pushing down the curl grown out from his forehead. “You were amazing out there, champ. Great job.”

Marcus beamed with new life. “Thanks, Dad.” He said farewell to his friends as their families all walked towards the parking lot. Once Marcus threw his pads and helmet into the back and strapped into the passenger seat, Fox started the car and pulled out onto the road.

As was tradition after football practice, the pair stopped by the _Sector B_ burger joint on the way home. Fox and Marcus slid into their favourite booth with two shakes, and a large order of fries each. Nothing was better after an hour of running around than a good fry dipped in thick cream.

They talked as they ate. Fox excitedly recounted a full replay of the last match back at the schoolyard. “Like, it looked as though you were dancing around those guys,” he grinned. “Then the way you dodged that one behind you… You must have eyes in the back of your head or something.”

Marcus soaked up his father’s praise like any other ten-year-old kid would. Fox was immensely proud of his son, no matter what he did or how well he performed at it. Being here with Marcus, watching his practice sessions and getting junk food afterwards, it reminded Fox of the times he shared with his own father long ago. His joy faded away as the old memories resurfaced. Something tickled in the back of Fox’s head. How many years had it been now since his father died?

“What happened to Granddad?” Marcus asked.

Fox nearly choked on his shake. “What?” he wrinkled his brow. “Where did this question come from?”

“You were thinking about Granddad,” Marcus said simply. “You miss him. What happened to him?”

His mind turned blank as Fox set his cup down gently. He stared at Marcus carefully. “You could tell what I was thinking?”

Marcus’s eyes darted around. “Yeah…?”

“What am I thinking about right now, then?” That tickling sensation returned inside Fox’s skull. He had thought it felt familiar!

“Some old rabbit guy.”

Damn! That was Fox’s godfather and mentor, Peppy Hare, right on the money! Suddenly, what happened on the field snapped into a new perspective. Marcus hadn’t woven around those other boys because he had eyes on the back of his head. He was able to evade them because he had been listening to their thoughts!

“How long have you been able to read minds like this?” Fox tried to keep his tone as gentle as possible.

Marcus shrugged anxiously. “A while now?”

“Does anyone else know? Any of your friends, maybe?”

“No,” Marcus shook his head. “I thought I had, like, a cool superpower, just like on TV. So, I wanted a secret identity once I learned how to use it. I haven’t been around any radioactive science stuff, so I thought I maybe got it from you or Mum.”

“Well, you definitely got it from one of us,” Fox mumbled. His thoughts kicked up into a maelstrom of chilling realisations and panic.

‘ _I have to talk to Kursed._ ’ He felt himself tremble. ‘ _I have to talk to Kursed. I need to talk to Kursed._ ’ However, she would be out at work until late this evening.

Fox then saw the worry forming in Marcus’s eyes. He quickly quashed his own turmoil. ’ _Stop it, Fox! You’re freaking him out!’_ Unfortunately, no sooner had he shut down his thoughts, they popped up again persistently. Fox became aware of the various other people dining around them.

“Hey,” he said. “Why don’t we talk about this more at home, huh?”

Marcus nodded quietly as he and Fox carried their remaining food to the car. Of course, a child’s curiosity always overtook their patience. The stream of questions spouted as soon as they hit the road. No, Fox didn’t have any special powers like telepathy. By process of elimination; yes, Kursed did. Fox didn’t know what other powers Marcus might have. That was something he might be better off asking his mother.

“And one thing I’ll make very clear with you: People can tell when you’re using telepathy on them.” Fox said sternly. The tickle in his brain subsided. “I doubt your friends at practice noticed at the time; but touching someone’s mind is like touching their body. They’ll feel it. So, don’t think you can go prying into people’s heads and expect to get away with it.”

Marcus flattened his ears. “Sorry…”

“I don’t mind if you reach out to me, but you need to have a good reason for it.” Fox pulled into their driveway. “Promise me that you’ll be responsible with your powers. I know that they might seem like fun now, but under no circumstances should you use them to hurt or take advantage of people. Okay, Marcus?”

His son nodded. That was all that Fox would ask of him for now. He then flashed Marcus a smirk. “And no more cheating at football. Got it?”

“Aww…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if anyone else noticed, but one thing I know even less about than Star Fox is American-rules football. I doubt the Australian version is as well-known across the world.


	2. Inevitable Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fox confronts Kursed about their son's budding powers. Old wounds are opened anew as their secrets come to light.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I thought I could wait a week to upload the next chapter. But I couldn't.

While Marcus toiled through homework in his bedroom, Fox paced around the living room with his hands roaming between his ears. What the hell was he supposed to say when Kursed got home? “ _Hi, honey. Guess what? Our son is a telepath._ ” That part was going to be so much easier than what was destined to come after…

That conversation was hours away. Fox tried to busy himself in the kitchen. It was just Marcus and him home for dinner that night. Kursed’s job often led to her barely making it through the door in time to tuck her child into bed. Marcus idolised her. He’d always plead for stories about the cool things that she did at work. Fox knew it broke Kursed’s heart that she saw so little of him. That was part of the reason why he chose to stay home and care for their son for the both of them.

After dinner, Fox and Marcus booted up their V-Space system. Their headsets sent them tearing through a war-torn asteroid field. Marcus manned their fighter’s guns while Fox evaded the players hot on their tail. It kept both their minds occupied. Alas, the timer that suddenly blinked in Fox’s eyes called them back to the real world and what it had in store for them.

He thought he could at least send Marcus off to brush his teeth before a key clicked in the front door. “I’m home!” Kursed called. Marcus spun towards her, and Fox felt the floor swallow him up.

Kursed knelt to hug Marcus and kiss his forehead. Then she looked over to Fox with her sweet, loving smile. All that he could offer his wife in return was a pained stare which could not meet her gaze. She quickly noticed.

“Fox…? What’s wrong?”

“Ah… Nothing! Nothing’s wrong… Not… per se…” He hesitated. Fox kicked his own ass into gear and carefully placed a hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “But… um…. There is something that we think you should know…” Fox and Marcus shared a look. It appeared that Marcus was relying on him to do the talking.

“What is it?” Kursed asked. In the moment, Fox could only see through the purple dye of her fur. The worry in her blue eyes burned a hole in his chest. Her lips turned downward, parting slightly.

Fox swallowed hard. This had to be done. Anything other than the truth would only make things worse for all of them. “Marcus… told me today that he can read minds.”

Shock overtook Kursed. “What did you say…?”

“Marcus read the minds of some other kids at football practice today,” Fox explained, using his gaze towards his son to mask his inability to hold his head up. “He used their thoughts to run around them, no matter what tricks they tried to grab him.”

Marcus stared towards the floor. His tail tucked between his legs. “Sorry, Mum…”

Kursed trembled. “How long…?”

“A month or so, it seems,” Fox answered. “I only just found out this afternoon.”

Hands raised over her mouth, Kursed glanced fretfully between Fox and Marcus for a long time. Her eyes began to swim as they settled on her husband. “Fox…” Her voice was strangled. “There’s something that I need to tell you…”

And here it came. “It’s okay, Krystal…” Fox shook his head. “I know…” His soul shattered completely. “I’ve known for years.”

Kursed’s throat hitched at the sound of him utter her real name. She stared wildly at Fox as agony consumed her. One sniff preceded a sob. Another followed. At last, Kursed sank to her knees, crying heavily into her palms.

“Mum…?” Marcus clutched his chest. He took an anxious step forward. Fox moved past him, kneeling in front of Kursed and taking her into his arms.

“It’s okay…” Fox whispered. The strain of his own tears underlaid hers. “It’s okay… It’s going to be okay…” To whichever god ruled this corner of the universe, Fox prayed that what he said would become true.

* * *

Fox sent Marcus to bed while Kursed took a few minutes to calm down. He found her in the dining room, head laid in her hands over the table. Lead weighed down inside his chest as Fox slowly walked over and took a seat opposite of her.

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“What part of this is okay?!” Kursed hissed at the tablecloth. “I spent _years_ thinking that I’d hidden the truth from you, Fox! And now suddenly I find out that you’ve known this whole time. Spirits, I’m such a fool!”

Fox sighed. “K… I’m not upset, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

“Why?! Why didn’t you say something?” Kursed, once known as Krystal of the Star Fox mercenary team, glared at Fox with hot tears streaking her face. “Have the last thirteen years we’ve spent together been one big lark to you? Did you think it was funny playing along with my lies?”

“No. That was never it.”

Kursed’s rage evaporated. She crumpled in front of him. “Then why?” she snivelled.

Fox wanted to hold her hand; to comfort her; but he felt frozen in place. “When you disappeared after the Anglar Blitz, I thought I had lost you forever.”

He lowered his head. Ancient remorse numbed him to the bone. “Kicking you off the team was the worst mistake I’ve ever made. I thought I was protecting you from danger, but all I was doing was protecting myself. It wasn’t until Wolf told us stealing Andross’s machine was your idea that I finally understood how much I had hurt you. By the time I was able to search for you and apologise again, it was too late. You were gone. And nobody knew where you went. I blamed and hated myself so much that I didn’t know if I could keep going.”

“Fox…”

“When we kept running into each other after that job on Kew, I thought I was ready to move on with my life. I asked you out for a drink and you said yes. At the time, I didn’t recognise you at all as Kursed. You had changed so much since I last saw you.” Fox chuckled, though there was no humour in it.

“But then I met you at the bar, outside of our fighters. You were so beautiful I could hardly stand it.” Fox ran his hand across his face. “Then I caught your scent… and I knew! I knew that it was you! I couldn’t believe it, but there you were standing right in front of me!”

“I thought you hadn’t noticed.” Kursed hung her head. “But if you had known from the start, then why didn’t you say anything?”

“Because I was afraid that you would leave me again if I did,” Fox sighed deeply. “I thought that this was my second chance with you, and I was scared to ruin it. So, I played dumb and pretended that you were a completely different person.” He laid his head against his palm. “I was always terrified that you’d read my mind and catch me out.”

“I thought that if I did, you’d recognise me,” Kursed hugged herself.

“I’m sorry, K… I never meant for this to drag out for so long,” Fox said. “I always believed that you would tell me the truth when you were ready. Then we could have had this conversation and worked things out from there. But… you never did. And now that Marcus has his powers, I’ve realised that this couldn’t wait any longer.”

Kursed wiped her eyes, unable to dry them completely. “I’m surprised that you didn’t speak up when Marcus was born.”

“I know, right?! I thought for sure you’d crack after he came out with your fur!” They each chuckled at their own stubborn stupidity.

“Kursed… Krystal…” Fox looked into her eyes. “I need you to understand that I _never_ meant to hurt you again. All that I wanted was to be here for you and support your new life, instead of trying to control it. I just wanted another chance to make you happy.”

Kursed shook in front of him. Fox fretted that she would cry again. “Why, though…? she whimpered. “After what I did to you and the others on Titania… Why would you ever want anything to do with me again?”

Fox recalled the heartbreak he had felt after Krystal used him to steal Andross’s terraforming device and defeated the Anglars alongside Star Wolf. He still felt that pain as clear as day. But… “Because despite all that happened, I still loved you. I still do now.”

The dams broke. Kursed sank into her hands, crying forcefully. Tears burned Fox’s eyes, as well, and soaked his muzzle. Years of bottled, painful regrets ruptured and spilt free. It felt like hours until they both wept themselves dry. Fox was the first to lift his head and speak.

“So… what now?”

“I don’t know…” Kursed shook her head. “Fox… I need time to think about this… I’m sorry…”

He nodded sadly. It was better than her outright rejecting him, as he always dreaded, yet her lack of an answer sucked Fox deeper into the state of limbo he had spent the last thirteen years trapped inside. “Take your time,” he said.

It was late, and this night had left Fox exhausted; each in mind, body, and soul. He rose from his seat. “Will you come to bed with me?”

Kursed gnawed on her lip. “I’m sorry, Fox… But I think I need some space right now. I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.”

Fox tried not to show his hurt. He wanted to offer the bed and take her place, but he knew Kursed well enough now to know that she’d adamantly refuse. “I’ll help you set up.”

She let him do that much for her. It took too little time to lay a pillow down along with several blankets. When there was nothing more that he could do, Fox walked towards the end of the living room. “Well… Goodnight,” he murmured. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Kursed nodded. She did not look at him. “Goodnight.”

Fox hovered in the doorway. He swallowed with a dry throat as he took in as much of her visage as he could. “I love you.”

When she didn’t respond, Fox sighed and left her be. Once his footsteps had faded from her hearing, Kursed pulled her knees to her chest and sniffed painfully.

“I love you, too.”

Kursed only wished that she had the right to say that to his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank USEChairman from FanFiction.net for pointing me to the resources I've used to learn about the Star Fox universe in detail. Although plenty of sources contradict each other, the information has been invaluable for my more recent works.


	3. Heritage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With neither able to sleep, Kursed consoles Marcus and shares with him the truth about his heritage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heads up for Star Fox veterans; there's a bit of recap in this chapter and the next. I've done my best to keep it to a minimum.

Kursed tossed and turned throughout the night. Demons crawled along every corner inside her mind. They hissed and jeered until their insults became almost loud enough to make her scream. Her teeth, eyes, and hands all hurt as she clenched them relentlessly. The waking nightmares tied a noose around her throat, constricting her airways. ‘ _Just get it over with,_ ’ she pleaded them.

“Mum…?”

Kursed jolted. Her heart hammered inside her ribs. She rolled around to find Marcus standing in the dark next to her. “Marcus…? What are you doing up? It’s late!”

“I couldn’t sleep…”

The misery in his voice hurt Kursed. She sat up on the couch. “What’s the matter?”

For too long, Marcus didn’t answer. Then Kursed heard a sharp sob tear from him. “Are you and Dad getting a divorce?”

“What?!” Kursed exclaimed. She reached out to Marcus and cupped his cheek. Hot tears wetted her palm. “No! No, of course not, sweetie! Why would you ever think that?”

“I heard you guys fighting,” Marcus choked. “You’re mad that I read my friends’ minds, right? That’s why you were crying, wasn’t it?” Through her empathy, Kursed felt his distress radiating from him like a sickly bonfire.

“No! No-no-no! No, Marcus! We weren’t fighting! I promise!” Kursed pulled him against her chest. Marcus locked his arms around her tightly. His cries shook his entire body. Kursed’s shoulder quickly soaked through. “I promise you, sweetheart. Your father and I were _not_ fighting. What’s happening between us is _not_ your fault. And we are _not_ getting a divorce!” She prayed to the spirits and her ancestors that her words would not prove empty to her sun and stars.

“Then why were you both crying?” Marcus sniffed.

Kursed stroked the back of his head. “It’s… complicated.” She did not want to tell this story to him, but she sensed that it was now necessary. Kursed pulled away and patted the couch cushions. “Come here.”

Marcus wriggled over beside her. Kursed pulled the blankets over them as they laid across the couch. She wrapped her arms around him. “Would you like to hear how your father and I first met?”

“I know that already,” Marcus murmured. “You were both bounty hunters and worked together until you got married.”

“That’s part of the story,” Kursed smiled. “But it’s not how it really starts. There was so much more that came before then.”

She caressed his ear lovingly. Kursed could already feel Marcus relax. “A long time ago, I had a different name to what I go by now. My parents named me Krystal, and I spent many years in a faraway solar system called Lylat.”

“Why did you change your name?” Marcus interrupted.

“We’ll… get to that in a moment,” Kursed said with the latest of many more pangs in her heart. “I lost my family in a terrible tragedy, along with everything else that I knew. I travelled the stars searching for answers, and eventually came upon a planet of dinosaurs called Sauria.”

The early memories were fond and came to Kursed in vivid colours and sounds. She told Marcus about her initial attempt to save Sauria from destruction. However, she became imprisoned before she could succeed. Marcus’s breath caught in wonder as Kursed recounted how she was then rescued by the famous hero, Fox McCloud, shortly before he chased after the villain who orchestrated the catastrophe.

After thanking Fox onboard his flagship, he offered her a place to stay while she planned her next move. That ended up becoming her joining his team, Star Fox, as a mercenary. She and Fox spent several years working together to keep the Lylat System safe, fighting rebels; pirates; and the seemingly unstoppable Aparoid threat. Despite the frequent dangers, her time with Star Fox was among the happiest throughout Kursed’s life.

“Over time, our friends left the team to pursue their own goals,” she continued. “It soon became just Fox and me, and eventually we became lovers.” The memories swiftly turned sour. “But one day… Fox told me to quit Star Fox as well. I didn’t want to, but he refused to let me stay. In the end, I left him.”

She hated herself as Marcus’s joy collapsed in an instant. Yet, Kursed pressed on. “Being pushed away made me very angry with your father. I wanted to hurt him like he had hurt me. So, I joined up with one of your father’s old enemies, Wolf O’Donnell of Star Wolf.”

Kursed decided that Marcus did not need to know about her brief romantic relationship at the time with Wolf’s comrade, Panther Caroso. If she were being honest, Panther had loved her far more than she ever did in return. She merely wanted to get under Fox’s skin just that little bit more.

“When a new enemy called the Anglars suddenly attacked planets across the Lylat System, your father asked me to help fight them. But… when he trusted me most during the war… I did something unforgiveable to him.”

Kursed could not bear to tell Marcus more than that. Perhaps there was no point in doing so. She stopped to dry her face and regain some control over the tremors building in her throat. “When people learned about what I did, they became cruel towards me. I made a rash decision and should never have hurt Fox the way that I had. I was so ashamed that I couldn’t live with myself anymore. So, I ran away to another galaxy, where nobody knew who I was, and changed my name. I became Kursed, the bounty hunter. And my mistakes have haunted me ever since.”

Marcus was painfully silent afterwards. Kursed wanted to pry deeper into his thoughts, though years of hiding her powers from Fox helped her resist the temptation. Spirits, he must be so disappointed in her…

“But you and Dad made up, right?” Marcus finally said.

“Not exactly,” Kursed sighed. “I never expected to see Fox again. By then, I was like a different person. I became cold and bitter, and I did whatever I had to do to take down the galaxy’s worst scum for a living. But when I saw Fox again, I realised that I missed him. I wanted to be with him like we used to, but I was too ashamed to tell him who I really was. And when he asked me out, I still couldn’t tell him.”

She remembered their first kiss following her life as Kursed. For her, it was a bittersweet cocktail of catharsis, joy, sorrow, guilt, hope, and anguish. “I spent years believing that Fox thought I was someone else. I always wanted to tell him the truth, but I was too much of a coward.” Kursed sniffed. “But Fox knew who I was the whole time. He just never said so. The two of us simply chose to live with our lies. So, really, we never resolved anything at all.”

Kursed stroked Marcus’s hair. The soft curl on his head flowed between her finger and thumb. “When Fox and I found out you have the same powers as I do, we couldn’t keep our secrets hidden any longer. What you heard tonight was the talk that we should have had from the very start; and waiting for so long only made it worse for us.”

Marcus buried his face into her chest. “I’m sorry…” he whimpered. “I wish that I never got these stupid powers…”

“No! That’s not it at all, Marcus,” Kursed said quickly. She lifted his chin to face her. “You should never be ashamed of your gifts. They’re a blessing and I am immensely proud that you have them. I am so sorry that I’ve ever done anything to make you feel otherwise.”

It took more coaxing to ease Marcus’s worries. Kursed realised that she only had herself to blame. She had been so concerned about hiding her own gifts from her family that she had completely ignored her son’s potential for them. She should have prepared for this day. Now her negligence had harmed Marcus. ‘ _What kind of mother am I?_ ’

“The abilities that you have are very special,” she told him. “You and I are descendants from a planet named Cerinia, and every fox who lived there had gifts just like we have. We can listen to the thoughts of others and share ours with them. We can use magic to create fire and ice and rise through the air with our staffs. Some Cerinians could even move objects with their minds and protect people with shields of light.”

“And Dad? He said he can’t read minds. But can he do that other stuff?”

“Not by himself.” Kursed smiled. “Your father is special in his own way. But he is not Cerinian.”

“Can we go to Cerinia?”

“I wish that we could, Marcus.” Kursed sighed as the old scars bled. “When I was a young woman, one of the bad men whom I mentioned earlier destroyed my planet. Everything on Cerinia was lost forever. Now you and I are all that’s left of our people.”

Marcus’s ears flattened. Kursed perked them up again with a kiss. “Would you like to see what our home world was like?”

“How?”

“Close your eyes.” Touching her forehead to his, Kursed extended her consciousness and tethered it to Marcus’s mind. Memories of lush forests and running streams flowed between them. Jagged mountains touched pure, white clouds. Humble villages and aging temples masked technological advancement comparable to many young, space-faring cultures. Marcus gasped at the sights, sounds, and smells that he had never sensed before with his own body.

“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Kursed grinned.

“So cool.”

“I’m glad you like it. I wish that Fox and I could have raised you there.” Kursed ended their connection. They returned to the darkened living room.

“Do you and Dad still love each other?” Marcus then asked.

She petted his forehead. “Of course, we do. I… I’m just too ashamed with myself to tell him that right now, though.”

“Will you guys make up soon?”

“I hope so, sweetheart. I really do hope so. But right now, I don’t know if I can keep being Kursed anymore. I need some time to work out if I’m able to be Krystal again. She and I have been very different people for far too long; and I don’t know if I’m ready to forgive myself just yet.”

“Can I help?”

“Having you here with me is more help than I could ever ask for.” Kursed kissed him once more. “But we’ve talked enough. It’s very late and it’s time to sleep. Okay? We’ll talk more about this another time.”

Marcus tightened his arms around her. “Can I stay here with you tonight?”

Kursed’s chest swelled enough to nearly burst. “Of course you can, sweetheart.”

As her son closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep. Kursed watched over him as pain and love waged war within her. She wanted to be free from the demons of her past. She wanted to hold on to the happy memories and the kind-hearted man whom she first fell in love with. Alas, Kursed could not have one without the other. And more than anything else, she wanted to never let go of the future that she held in her arms this night.

If only she could turn back the clock and redo her life all over again…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It hurt writing the first part of this chapter. I cried a little.


	4. Father and Son Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the morning, Fox opens up to Marcus about his mistakes and the long road taken to fix them.

The bed was too big when Fox awoke. He killed the silent alarm of the smartwatch buzzing on his wrist. Through dreary vision, he stared upon the empty covers on Kursed’s side of the mattress. After the previous night, all he could feel inside his head were the ghosts of his grief and regrets.

Minutes ticked by without him moving. Fox didn’t care too much until he started thinking about Marcus. ‘ _Shit…_ ’ It was a school day. By now, it was too late for him and his son to head out for their morning run. Fox wrestled with his choices over the next hour.

Kursed’s alarm clock displayed 08:39 when Fox finally threw off the blankets. He rolled off the bed and shuffled into the bathroom. A hot shower was good for standing around and thinking. The skin beneath Fox’s pelt stung blissfully under the torrent of scalding water. He found himself remembering the occasional late weekend mornings when he and Kursed would get a little naughty while they washed together. The way in which they expressed their love now was different to when they were Fox McCloud and Krystal of Cerinia. Though if Fox had his say, it was by no means any lesser in comparison.

Once Fox was dried and dressed, he crept quietly outside the living room. He could spy Kursed asleep on the couch. It pained Fox, but did not surprise him, to see Marcus curled up next to her under the blankets. Poor kit didn’t deserve to get caught up in the middle of his parents’ issues.

Fox left them be and continued towards the kitchen. After a quick phone call, he made a start on breakfast. The greasy scents of bacon and onions frying filled the room. Water bubbled inside the kettle to one side of the stove. Fox added a dash of herbs and spices to the beaten eggs, just the way that Kursed like them.

Soon, Fox returned to the living room. He knelt beside the couch and shook his wife and son each gently on the shoulder. They stirred slowly, blinking tired eyes that quickly found him.

“Hey,” he said, attempting to smile. “I made breakfast.”

Kursed let go of Marcus so that he could get up. She sat upright and rubbed her face. When she glanced at her watch, Kursed leaped out of her skin. “Fox! It’s past nine! Marcus is supposed to be…!”

“I’ve called the school,” he reassured her. “I told them that he was going to be in late today.” Fox figured they all needed the extra rest. Kursed visibly relaxed. When she met his gaze, the same anguish from last night filled her eyes.

“Hungry?” Fox asked. “I made your favourite.”

Kursed rose with a blanket still around her shoulders and followed Fox into the dining room. He set out three plates of omelettes between them. No one spoke throughout breakfast. Fox took solace in that Kursed was at least eating.

“How are you feeling this morning?” Fox finally dared to ask.

She took a long sip from her coffee and stared into the liquid swirling in her mug. “Tired.” Fox did not know what else to do or say.

“Thank you for breakfast, Fox,” Kursed said after they sent Marcus to shower and dress. “I’ll be working late again tonight,”

“Sure. I’ll… wait for you to get home.” She only nodded. Fox finished his coffee and set his plate near the sink to wash later. Marcus soon returned with his backpack. Fox looked back over to Kursed.

“See you tonight,” he said.

“Yeah… See you tonight.”

Marcus ran up to Kursed and hugged her. She kissed his forehead, gazing into his face for a long time. Fox suspected they were sharing a private, Cerinian conversation, for Marcus suddenly wagged his tail. Kursed smiled and kissed him again. She then sent him off to join his father.

Outside the house, Marcus walked over to the car but saw Fox brush past it. “Where are you going?”

“I thought we could walk today,” Fox replied. Although it would take them half an hour to get to the school on foot, that would give them plenty of time to talk. Marcus shrugged as he followed.

“Am I going to get in trouble for being late?” he asked Fox.

“Nah. I called them up and said it was okay today. I think you, your mum and I need this right now,” Fox sighed. “When I was a kid, I lost my parents one after the other. My mom died when I was five. My dad when I was fifteen. Both times I was so upset that school was the last thing I could put my mind to. What happened last night was pretty hard on all of us. I figured we could talk this out before you need to worry about school again.”

“Can I have the whole day off then?”

Fox smirked. “Nice try. But it’s not like this is the end of the world. Your mum and I are just working through some old problems, that’s all. You can still go to school.” Marcus pouted, but Fox could tell when his son was putting up airs and when he was actually upset about something. No psychic abilities. Just good-old parental intuition.

Fox scratched the back of his head. “I suppose you want to know what happened between us last night.”

“Mum said you guys used to date before you kicked her off your team.”

Fox nodded sadly. “Yeah… I did. And that was a really stupid thing I did.” He placed his hand on Marcus’s shoulder. “Let me give you some important advice: If you ever meet a special girl in your life, never make her do something that she doesn’t want to; and don’t ignore her when she tells you ‘no.’ Women hate that. I did it and it bit me in the ass like you wouldn’t believe. Your mum had every right to be upset with me, and I deserved everything that happened as a result.”

“Why did you do it?”

“Because I was scared of losing her. My mom was killed because my dad made powerful enemies through his work. I didn’t want to put your mother in the same kind of danger, so I took her off the team. She ended up leaving me entirely.”

Fox shook his head, exhaling. “There were so many other choices that I could have made at the time. But, instead, I just went with the first one that worked for me. Like I said: I was stupid and scared. I should have talked with Krystal about it first and respected her skills as a pilot more.”

“How did you find mum after she ran away?”

“Did she tell you about that part already?” Marcus nodded. “Honestly, it was sheer dumb luck. The universe is a big place and we ran into each other in a different galaxy. I didn’t even recognise her at first. She was strong and confident, but she had grown cold and angry with the world. I thought I had done something to annoy Kursed, so I asked her out to make amends… and maybe see if she’d be interested in being more than allies.”

Fox blew a sullen breath. “Then I found out who she really was. I could recognise Krystal’s scent anywhere. But your mother didn’t say anything about our past the whole time. So, I didn’t say anything either. It was weird, but we ended up having a good time.”

He and Marcus cut through the park. They passed by mothers and fathers playing with younger children. “As we spent more time together, I realised that Kursed wasn’t angry towards me anymore. It seemed more like she was angry with herself and took it out on whichever goon she was hunting at the time. I knew it was my fault that she became that way.”

Fox sighed, haunted by bloody visions and the agonised screams of crooks who pushed their luck too far with Kursed. “She used to be the kindest, most gentle person I’ve ever met, but I couldn’t see that side of her anymore. So, I stuck around to try and help your mother find her old self. I didn’t have the balls to tell her outright to start acting like Krystal again, but I did encourage her to make better choices when she worked. A lot of times, the easiest thing you can do isn’t the best thing you should do. That was a lesson that I’ve learned the hard way.”

“But Mum isn’t mean or angry like that,” Marcus argued.

“And I’ll take _that_ as a testament to my hard work,” Fox smiled. “Your mother is so much better now than she used to be, and I’m proud of her for that. But… it had been years by then and we still acted like Krystal never existed. I didn’t care about that anymore, though. I was just happy to be a part of her life again.”

Thinking back to their conversation from the previous night, Fox hung his head in despair. “But now Kursed knows that I’ve been lying to her, and I’m not sure if she still loves me anymore.” Too late, Fox realised that was the worst possible thing that he could have told Marcus.

“Mum said that she does love you,” Marcus said, “but she doesn’t know how to tell you right now.”

As Fox stared at his son, a great weight shed from his shoulders. “She did? Oh… That’s a relief.” He thanked Marcus with a tender scratch between his ears. “Then it looks like there’s nothing to worry about. Your mum will come back to sort things out when she’s ready; and you and I will be here for her when she does. Okay, champ?

Marcus’s tail wagged. “Okay.”

When they arrived at the school, Fox took Marcus to the administration office. A grey-fleeced ewe glanced up from her monitor. “Hi. Fox Reinard. I’m here to drop off my son, Marcus.”

“Of course.” The receptionist typed away at her computer for a few minutes. Fox provided a signature and received a paper slip. Afterwards, Fox continued to walk with Marcus to his classroom. He knelt in front of him outside the door and placed both hands atop Marcus’s shoulders.

“Hey, listen,” Fox said softly. “I know that things at home are a little worrisome right now, but everything is going to be okay. And if you ever feel that you want to talk to me; whether it’s about your powers, or your mum, or anything else; I’ll be right here for you. Alright?”

Marcus nodded firmly. Fox smiled and tapped his son’s head. “And don’t go messing around with your powers until your mum teaches you how to use them properly, okay? Behave yourself.”

Fox wrapped Marcus into his arms. He squeezed him gently, rubbing the back of his head with one hand. Then he passed the paper slip to Marcus and sent him in to give to his teacher. With the kind of sigh only breathed by a father worried for his child, Fox began the long, solitary walk back home. Kursed would probably be on her way to work before he got there. Fox would then have eight-to-twelve hours before he could find out if he’d ever get the chance to talk to her again.


	5. Crossroads

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kursed tries to find her way forward in life. But with so many roads that lead to as much pain as the other, how is she to know which route is the correct one?

There was a change in scenery scheduled for Kursed’s day. She stood on the observation deck of her employer’s private dreadnought. The inky void of space stretched infinitely in all directions, dotted with innumerable stars. Small asteroids floated into view. They signalled that the ship was approaching their destination.

The _Herald_ was nothing like the _Great Fox_. Most of the crew meant nothing to Kursed; and their special passengers meant even less. Yet, it did remind Kursed of how her life started as a mercenary. It was all that she knew how to do after her family, home, and culture all vanished in a flaming ball of shattered earth.

Her brief time with Star Wolf had a few charms, although it ultimately held no important comparison over Star Fox. Only Panther expressed anything beyond cold professionalism towards her. Maybe Kursed would have heeded Fox’s apologies if she hadn’t found comfort with the other man. In the end, she broke both of their hearts.

After fleeing the galaxy and recreating herself, Kursed operated alone. It was convenient that way. No one could hurt her, and she had no one left to hurt. Then the spirits threw Fox back into her life. Selfishly, Kursed indulged his offer to work together on more than one bounty. She wanted to feel close to him; close to anybody; once again. Kursed remembered hesitating when Fox then asked her out. Had it been right for her to accept? To keep accepting time and time again, even as the question became ‘will you marry me?’ Until recently, she thought she had known the answer to that.

Kursed expected their past problems to repeat themselves. Yet, when Marcus was born, it was Fox who gave up bounty hunting to raise their son at home. It surprised Kursed completely. He allowed her to continue working as she pleased with only one condition: that she never worked alone. Thus, Kursed found a crew to join, continuing to hunt and fight to her darkened heart’s content.

Fox’s greatest concern while she was Krystal had been her safety. As Kursed, he never spoke about the dangers of her work. This change in attitude came off as suspicious. So, Kursed began pushing some boundaries. She took riskier jobs, frequented less savoury hunting grounds, and disappeared from home for longer intervals with no contact. No matter what Kursed did, though, Fox said nothing. She would walk through the front door and, if he were awake, Fox would turn to welcome her with a loving smile. That was until that one night when Marcus was two years old…

Her target had been a slippery bastard. He had eluded Kursed’s team for four straight days across multiple planets. By the time she returned home with her share of the bounty, it was past two in the morning. Kursed crept through the door hoping not to wake Fox. She heard crying in the living room.

Marcus slept in his lap. Holding their son, Fox wept on the couch, oblivious to Kursed hiding behind the wall. She reached to his mind, thinking that she would be safe. The stress born from his fear and worry for her burned Kursed like a hot iron. She drew back instantly and waited tearfully for Fox to call her out. When he didn’t, Kursed finally made her presence known. The redness in Fox’s eyes as he looked up almost destroyed her. She ran up to him and took Fox into her arms, where they bawled into each other’s shoulders. As Marcus woke and cried, Kursed held him to her breast, rocking and kissing him with an endless string of apologies to her son and husband. She never took another high-risk contract after that, and always called home regularly whenever she went away on a long job.

Over the following eight years, Kursed took up permanent employment on-world under Morgen Salvatore, the CEO of a multi-planetary weapons manufacturer. Salvatore was a cold businesswoman with plenty of enemies, but she paid well for protection and respected Kursed as both a mother and skilled markswoman. The hours would often run long, though Kursed could always go home to her family at the end of the day.

“Yo, Reinard!” A booming voice snapped Kursed out of her daze. To her right, a hulking rhino waved as she approached her. “You ready for one hell of a weapons demonstration?”

“Hey, Winters,” Kursed sighed back. “Sure. Looking forward to blowing up asteroids while a bunch of military suits kiss Salvatore’s ass.”

Winters tilted her head to one side. “You feeling okay, baby girl? You seem a bit off today.”

“I’m fine.” Alas, Winters was renowned for sticking her nose in more than just peoples’ sternums. Kursed chose to cut the crap this time. “I’m just dealing with some shit at home, is all.”

“You and hubby aren’t having a domestic, are you?”

“No, nothing like that,” Kursed shook her head. “I’ve just been hiding… some dirty laundry from my family. But… I found out from Fox last night that my laundry’s been on display for a while now.”

“Ooh,” Winters winced. “Shit, sister. What else did Fox say?”

“That he understands… That he’s sorry that he didn’t talk to me about it sooner… All the kinds of things that make me wish he would just kick and scream at me instead.”

“How bad is this dirty laundry?”

“It’s bad. It’s really bad.” Kursed tried not to cry where others could see her. “It’s so bad that I can’t even tell you about it.”

“Well, whatever it is, it sounds like Fox wants to work through it with you,” Winters said. “What are you going to do?”

What _was_ she going to do? Kursed racked what little of her brain wasn’t currently curled up in the foetal position. Wolf O’Donnell had taunted Fox by revealing that she had masterminded Star Wolf’s double-cross on Titania. His later announcement to the solar system branded Krystal as a traitor to Lylat’s beloved hero. She never saw it, but she could only imagine the hurt and disbelief on Fox’s face. At first, Krystal took satisfaction at the thought. Though after the deed was done and the people began to whisper, Krystal could only think of Fox with unrelenting remorse. It became too difficult to gaze into the mirror without the jeers hissing in her ears.

For years, she had done her best to move forward and make things work with Fox. Yet now that the scaffold of secrets had broken away, there was nothing to stop her regrets from caving in on her. They crushed her underneath, suffocating Kursed.

What should she do? What could she do? How could she go back to Fox and expect to live their lives with those painful feelings between them now out in the open? She couldn’t bear the shame. It was too much!

She thought about running. Escaping to yet another galaxy and hiding herself away again. However, Kursed thought of Marcus. She couldn’t leave him; not when he was just now developing his gifts. Should she take him with her? How could she even consider doing that to Fox?! That was the exact kind of scheming that got her into this mess in the first place! Kursed pulled her hair through her fingers. What other choices did she have?!

Kursed couldn’t hold it in any longer. The tears burst forth from her, pooling into her hands. She felt Winter’s burly arms pull her to her breast. Kursed cried all over her body armour.

“It’s okay, Kursed… It’s okay,” Winters hushed, stroking her back. “I got you. I got you.”

* * *

Kursed owed Winters big-time for finding a more private place on the ship for her meltdown. After ten minutes alone in a small room, Winters returned with a tray of coffees and sweets from the mess hall. She laid them atop the table and sat across from Kursed.

“Go on,” she pointed to the muffins. “Eat up.”

The taste of blueberries helped Kursed feel a little more at ease. She chewed slowly, dragging out the process before finding the strength to swallow.

“Better?” Winters asked. A single nod was all that Kursed could manage. “Come on, Reinard. Tell me what’s wrong. We’re out here on an important job and I can’t have you breaking down on me.”

Kursed shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Well, you can’t keep this to yourself either. Whatever it is, it’s killing you. Please just let me try to help.”

Maybe she was so battered down that Kursed couldn’t fight anymore. Maybe in her heart, she knew that she needed someone from the outside to guide her. “Promise you won’t hate me?”

“Ah, girl… Now you really got me worried for you.” Winters sighed as she crossed her heart. “I promise. No judgements from me, and nothing you say leaves this room. That good enough?”

It would have to be. Taking several breaths, Kursed forced herself to confide in Winters. She spared no details. It seemed to take ages to get everything out. The entire time, Winters sat and listened. Her eyes widened now and then, but she didn’t say a word until Kursed finished.

“Shit, Reinard…” Winters wiped her brow. “That’s some baggage to be carrying around. I’m sorry I didn’t know you went through all that.”

“I brought this all upon myself,” Kursed whimpered. “Spirits, I been such a stubborn bitch for so long. I let my emotions get ahead of my brain, and now my whole life is fucked up! Now that I know that Fox knows who I am, I don’t know what the hell I’m supposed to do about it.”

A giant, grey hand consumed hers. For all its size, Kursed only felt the slightest pressure. “Kursed, let me tell you this: Fox was an ass when this all started. I won’t deny it. But from what I also know, he’s done everything he can think of to make things up to you. He gave up everything he’s passionate about to take care of your kid and let you do your own thing. Fox was a dumbass. But he was a dumbass who learned to be better.”

“This isn’t about Fox!” Kursed hissed. “I know that he’s grown up and become a better person! But while he’s changed for the better, all I’ve done is change for the worst!”

“Hey! Don’t give me that,” Winters snapped. “You’re a good mom and a loving wife. Sure, you made a bad decision that mucked everything up; but you’ve done the best that you could with what you had since then. The fact that you’re so bent out of shape over this is proof that you’re not as much of a heinous bitch as you think you are.”

Kursed wiped her eyes and sighed. “But what am I supposed to do?”

“Do you love Fox?”

“I do.”

“Does he love you?”

“I… I don’t…”

“Don’t bullshit me! He knew who you were, and remembered what you did, and he still asked you to marry him! Now try again. Does he love you?”

Kursed shivered. “He does.”

“And do you want to be with him for the rest of your lives?”

“I don’t know if I can…”

“I didn’t say ‘can.’ I said ‘want.’ Now, do you want to be with him?”

Lest she be scolded again, Kursed thought carefully. Her fingers brushed over the golden ring she wore. She began to think of how her life became after Fox blasted back into it. At first, their professional relationship was like walking on eggshells. The slightest misstep could shatter the masquerade that Kursed hid so desperately behind.

Then Fox invited her to that bar. She had been terrified that he’d recognise her right away. He must have during that brief moment when he gaped at her like an idiot. Instead of speaking out, Fox recovered quickly and smiled throughout the night as though nothing was amiss. They talked; they joked; they swapped stories, even though Kursed knew Fox’s already from having been there herself. It was what assured her that her secret was safe.

The longer that she and Fox spent together afterwards, the greater the impact he had on Kursed. He made it easier to collect the bounties that would have been tough as nails on her own. He took watch as they drifted in hostile space so that Kursed could sleep better. Fox also saved her tail more than a few times; and talked Kursed out of her more renegade tactics, through which she might have regretted the innocent bystanders who got hurt as a means to an end.

In their downtime, Fox often coaxed Kursed out of their safehouse for a few hours. They dined, they danced, they watched movies together, and took long walks along the coastline. Sometimes they cruised across the stars in their fighters, racing each other on occasion like the good old days. Fox taught Kursed how to smile, laugh, play, love, and enjoy life in the ways that she had forgotten how to. He brought her back from her darkness. Despite of all his faults and lies, Fox was her shining beacon in this cold universe.

While the devils in her brain howled one thing, the voice inside her heart whispered something that Kursed wanted to profess. “I do.”

Winters smiled, nodding. “Then you go back home, and you talk things out with your man.”

“I don’t know what good will come of it.”

“You won’t know until you talk to him. Fox is a good fella. Maybe not the most sensible, but he’s a good one. Don’t you ever think about leaving him again.” Winters then smirked. “Because if you do, I’m going to snatch him up. And you and I both know that he’s gonna break after one use.”

Kursed burst out laughing. “You bitch!”

“Don’t want me to have him? Go and claim him! It’s that simple.”

Shaking her head, Kursed gave a genuine smile. “Thank you, Winters. I’ve spent so long trying to deal with my problems on my own. I really needed some help when I got stuck.”

Winters smiled as she stroked Kursed’s wrist with half of her thumb. “Anytime, girlfriend,” she said sweetly. “And if Fox ever gets another dumb idea into his head, you call on me to smack it out of him. Got that?”

It became funny to stand back in the _Great Fox_ and imagine Winters towering over pig-headed, self-righteous Fox McCloud, daring him to question Krystal’s place on his team. Kursed giggled again and felt lighter than she ever had in years.

“Got it. Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is nearly within sight.


	6. Reconciliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kursed finally talks with Fox about what she wants for her life.

Fox spent the day doing everything that he could think of to distract himself. He cleaned the house; mowed the lawn; did the laundry; washed his car. At three in the afternoon, he drove over to the school to pick up Marcus. Then Fox went back to fending off his worries with mindless chores.

While scrolling online during a much-needed break, Fox spotted an old photo of him on a tabloid post. ' _15 Celebrities Who Vanished from the Face of the Universe._ ' He shook his head with a smirk and flicked past it. He had taken up his mother's maiden name to cut away his past life and be with the woman he loved. It would require more than the paparazzi beating on dead horses to make him revisit it. Fox did wonder how his old teammates were doing these days, though. He hadn't spoken with any of them since he left Lylat all those years ago.

A message pinged on his phone. Fox's heart hammered as he read Kursed's name as the sender. His thumb opened it with no conscious thought.

' _Fox. I'm ready to talk. See you when I get home.'_

A breath that he didn't realise he'd been holding in escaped Fox. Before he could text back, a second message came through. ' _I love you._ '

Tears stung Fox's eyes. Drying them, he typed his reply. ' _I'll be waiting. Love you too.'_

Fox placed the phone down and covered his face in his hands. He thanked all the gods and spirits whom he did not worship. His chest tightened, but he kept his emotions inside. When he had them under control, Fox went about the rest of his day with the clouds parting from over his head.

"Is Mum coming home?" Marcus asked when the time came for Fox to put him to bed.

"She said she was going to be late," Fox rubbed his son's head. "But she did tell me that she will be home soon." He showed him the messages from earlier. "You see? Mum and I are going to talk things out when she gets back. There's nothing you need to worry about now."

Marcus almost choked him as they hugged. Fox kissed his brow and bid him goodnight. He turned off the light and went to watch television whilst he waited. There was nothing but crap airing. Fox couldn't pay an iota of attention to anything on-screen.

At nearly 10:00 PM, Fox heard a car pull into the driveway. He killed the TV and perched along the edge of the couch. His ear flicked at the sound of the front lock turning. Unable to wait any longer, Fox stood up. He made his way to the door, where Kursed dropped her keys onto the side table next to it.

He stopped. She turned to him. They stood apart, silent. Fox opened his arms; not quite beckoning for an embrace but just enough to let her know that the invitation was there. Slowly, Kursed approached him. She slipped her arms around his chest. Their tentative touch grew into starved, desperate pressure. Fox hugged Kursed as though it were for the first and last time.

"Welcome home," he whispered into her ear. She sniffled deeply as she nestled into his shoulder.

Fox wanted this moment to last forever. However, there was still an elephant in the room to address. "So… where do you want to do this? Dining room? Living room? Outside?"

Kursed looked at him. He stared into her cerulean eyes. "Do you mind if we talk in the bedroom?" she asked softly.

That was fine by Fox. There, he and Kursed closed the door behind them and each took a seat at the foot of the bed. They wrung their hands, waiting for the other to speak first. Fox decided to take the lead.

"Krystal… I'm so sorry about what I did in Lylat. I was stupid, rude, and arrogant towards you. I should have given you the credit you were due as a pilot, and I should never have tried to protect you when you didn't need me to. You deserved so much better than how I treated you."

Kursed sniffed. "Fox… I'm sorry that I never accepted your apologies. I was too proud and stubborn to give you a second chance. And even when we did get back together, I was suspicious that you'd try and hold me down again. So, I tested you for ages, waiting for you to slip up. But you never did, and I made you suffer in silence. I'm so sorry that it took hurting you in that way for me to learn to trust you again."

Fox fetched the box of tissues on his nightstand. He offered Kursed one, which she used to dry her tears. "After I ruined what we had the first time," he said, "I tried to stay out of your way from then on. I still wanted to be with you, but I also wanted you to feel free to be yourself. It scared me every day wondering whether you'd come home safely or not; but I was determined to always put your happiness ahead of my own."

"I don't deserve that," Kursed moaned. "After I helped Star Wolf and left you and the others in the dust, I realised too late how stupid I was being. I turned my back on you. And the whole Lylat System made sure I'd never forget it."

Fox hung his head. "I heard all the things that they said about you." His claws dug into his palms. "I hated it. I hated how they talked as though they knew anything! It shouldn't have mattered which side you took! You saved the system from the Anglars with the rest of Wolf's team! I was just upset that you didn't let us in on your plan! We could have helped!"

Kursed began crying. Her tissue soaked through completely. Fox wrapped his arms around her, stroking her hair soothingly. "Oh, God! I'm sorry, Krystal! I didn't mean to upset you. It's okay. It's okay."

"I betrayed you."

"I forgive you."

"I used you!"

"I deserved it."

"No! No, you didn't!" Kursed wailed. "You were right! I should have let you, Falco, and Slippy help us! But I didn't. I wanted to prove that I was better than you. But all I did was prove that I was worse!" Another heavy sob racked through her. "I had no right to be with you again after what I did."

"Please stop beating yourself up," Fox sighed. "We've both done too much of that for too long." He kissed her forehead. "Krystal… I want to make a fresh start with you. That's all that I hoped for after I found you on Kew. Can we please do that?"

Kursed hugged him back. Her grip was so tight that Fox could barely breathe. "I'm not sure if I can be who I once was, though."

"That's okay," Fox whispered to her. "I don't mind whether you want to be Krystal or Kursed. I fell in love with both sides of you. If Kursed is all who you want to be, then I'll support that. If you want to be Krystal instead, then you can be her again. It's up to you."

For a while, she merely held him. "I want to stop lying to myself… But I don't think I know how to be Krystal again."

"I'll help you," he promised. "You're a lot closer to the old you than you think you are."

"I'm scared, Fox. I've ran from my past for so long. I'm not strong enough to face it head on."

"I'm right here with you. Whatever happens, we'll deal with it together."

Then, Kursed pulled away from him. She looked into Fox's eyes and touched his cheek. "Can I… Can I touch… your mind?"

Fox smiled lovingly. "Of course."

Kursed pressed their foreheads together and closed her eyes. Warmth leaked inside of Fox's skull. He bit back a sob as he heard her inner voice for the first time in over fifteen years. The trickle of her thoughts seeped further into his. They touched memories, feelings, and deeper parts of his soul. Kursed wept into his arms. Her anguish and joy quaked through Fox in sync with his. He kissed her passionately, taking in everything about her and this experience as he could without gifts of his own.

"I want to be Krystal again," she whispered.

"Then you'll always be Krystal to me," Fox cooed.

Krystal kissed him. Their contact was prolonged and deep. She then pulled back and shuffled herself onto Fox's lap. Her hands fiddled with his belt buckle. Fox kissed her again as he removed her jacket and top. Krystal unbuttoned his shirt, casting it carelessly to the floor. When Fox reached for the hooks of her bra, she stopped him.

"Wait one second." With their minds still tethered, Fox felt Krystal reach out to seize another presence he had not yet noticed before.

' _Marcus!_ ' she growled. _'Stop spying and go to bed!'_ The tiny presence then sucked straight back into his body.

"I really need to teach him how to use his powers," Krystal sighed irritably as she turned back to Fox.

"Sorry I can't help in that department," he replied.

She caressed his cheek. Sadness overtook her face. "I'm going to look for a new job. I want to be home for Marcus more; and I know that you want to go back to working again."

It was a wish that Fox buried deep inside of himself, yet he appreciated Krystal unearthing it. "I can book us in for some career counselling starting tomorrow, if you want."

"I could use the help," she chuckled. "I'm not sure what else I can do when all I know is how to fly and shoot people."

"Me neither. Getting back into the workforce in my forties is gonna be tough with my skills," he grinned. "But I'm sure there's something we can find."

For a moment, they spoke no further. Then Krystal swallowed. "I'm sorry that I lied to you for so long."

"I'm sorry too," Fox said woefully. "I lied back, so I'm just as bad." He touched her hand on his cheek and stroked her fingers. "Can we do one more thing, if that's okay? I want us to stop keeping secrets from each other. I want to be honest with you from now on."

"And I want to stop lying to you," Krystal wept. "I want to know exactly how you think and feel all the time. I want to connect with you more."

"Does that mean more telepathy or…?" Fox then added, "Because I don't mind if you do."

She giggled. "That'd be nice. But I also want to hear you voice your thoughts. I want for us to talk more and be able to listen to each other. I've really missed being able to do that with you."

Fox understood what she was saying. He'd like that; to do away with skirting sensitive subjects as they talked, day in and day out. He wanted to tell Krystal exactly how much he loves and worries about her constantly; and hear her speak her mind more openly with him.

"That sounds perfect to me," he answered.

Smiling down upon him, Krystal leaned forward to kiss him on the lips. "I love you, Fox."

"I love you too, Krystal."

Then, Krystal pushed him back over the bed and they went on to finish what they had started together.


	7. Closure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With their love for each other stronger than ever, Fox and Krystal look towards a better future for their family.

Krystal awoke in Fox’s arms. He slept against her breast, snoring softly. His coat glistened in the morning sun. She ran her fingers between his ears and touched his mind ever so gently. Tranquil dreams floated within it. They made her smile. Krystal submitted to joining Fox back to sleep. Thank goodness for Saturdays.

Fox’s rousing soon stirred Krystal awake again. He glanced up with her with his sparkling green eyes and handsome smile. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” she greeted with a kiss.

He shifted over the bed to meet her lips better. Fox cupped Krystal’s face tenderly. His thumb brushed the bangs from her eyes. Krystal ran her hand against his bare chest. He still retained some of his firm muscle from his working days. She then slipped deep into Fox’s mind. It was like a secondary embrace that was far more intimate than how his body held hers. Spirits, she had spent years dreaming of having this exchange with him again.

Hunger gnawed in both their stomachs. Krystal and Fox slipped out from the bed and dressed in the clothes they had discarded across the floor. No sooner did she have her top on, Fox’s arms coiled around her middle. She twisted around to gaze into his face. They nuzzled and kissed once more, reassured that there would be many more mornings like this together.

Marcus sat in the living room watching cartoons. He saw Krystal and Fox walk in side by side and immediately ran up to hug his mother. Krystal dropped to one knee to receive him. She squeezed her arms around his shoulders with all her love.

“Marcus,” she spoke softly, “your father and I are so sorry for making you worry these past couple of days. We’ve talked it over and we’ve agreed to work through our problems together.”

Krystal stroked his face as his little tail began to wag. “There are a few things that are going to change, though. First, I’m going to try to spend more time around the house with you. I don’t know when that will start, but I’m going to look for a job that lets me come home earlier in the day.”

“And I’m going to find one, too, so your mum won’t have to work so much,” Fox added, kneeling beside them. “That way we’ll all get to spend time with each other more often.”

Marcus nodded quietly. “The second thing that is going to change is that there will be no more secrets in this family,” Krystal sniffed. “From now on, we are all going to be more open and honest with each other. Okay?”

Fox brought Krystal and Marcus both into his arms. “And if we have problems, we are going to talk with each other and work through them together. We are not going to try and fix things by ourselves. That also means listening to each other and respecting how we each think and feel.”

“Okay,” Marcus whimpered, burying his face into Krystal’s shirt. She nuzzled him as she petted his back.

“We love you, Marcus,” she told him. “And your father and I love each other very much. We are not going to let anything change that ever again.”

Krystal had never been more certain than when she spoke those words to her family.

* * *

Fox scrolled through the dusty reaches of his contact list. Staring at the name for a few moments, he pressed the call icon and listened to the dial tone. He tapped the kitchen counter absently, hoping that the number was still current. After a few rings, a high-pitched voice spoke into his ear.

_“Hello?”_

“Slippy? It’s Fox.”

“ _Fox?!_ ” Slippy exclaimed. “ _Golly, it’s been years!_ ”

“It sure has been,” Fox smiled sadly.

 _“Where are you?_ ”

“Little planet called Clement in the Andromeda Galaxy. How are you these days?”

“ _Doing great. I’m the Director of Engineering here at Space Dynamics now. Amanda’s well, too, and she’s about to have our fifth kid any day soon.”_

“That’s great news, Slip. Good for you,” Fox chuckled. “Hey, I got to keep this brief or my phone bill will blow up. I was wondering if you and the old team want to get together in a few months. Krystal and I are planning on making a trip to Lylat sometime.”

“ _Krystal? You mean_ our _Krystal?_ ”

“The one and only.”

“ _So, you guys finally made up?”_

Fox grinned. “We did. In the most roundabout way possible.”

“ _How do you mean?_ ”

“We ran into each other on a few jobs after Krystal changed her name. Didn’t even recognise her until we had our first date. After that, we got married, had a kid for ten years, and then finally made up.”

“ _Wow… That’s some story._ ”

“I’ll give you the full version when I see you. That’s assuming you’re free, of course.”

“ _Sure! I’ll talk to Amanda and Peppy and let you know. We can work out the details through email if you want. Oh, yeah! And I can also introduce you to the kids! They’ve always wanted to meet you._ ”

“I don’t do selfies and autographs anymore, but for you guys I’ll make an exception,” Fox laughed. “I’ll text you my email address. I’m going by my mom’s last name these days.”

“ _Surprised the media hasn’t found you yet, with a cover like that,_ ” Slippy joked. “ _Hey… um… I’ll have to ask Peppy to track down Falco. He and I don’t talk much these days. Got his own team now, so we’re always too busy._ ” Slippy then cleared his throat. “ _Bit of warning, Fox… After what happened on Titania, and Star Wolf swiping the glory from us, Falco might be a little…”_

“Like Falco?” Fox frowned. The only thing sharper than Falco Lombardi’s piloting skills was his snide tongue. He could see where this conversation was leading.

“ _Yeah… He doesn’t have a lot of nice things to say about Krystal anymore._ ”

“Yeah, well if he wants to come say hi, he can. But you tell him to watch his mouth. If he says anything bad about Krystal in front of either her, me, or Marcus, I’ll punch him in the beak. I don’t care who agrees with him.”

“ _Sure,_ ” Slippy replied with an uneasy chuckle.

“Hey Slip, I really should get going,” Fox said sadly. “I’ll get in touch again soon, okay?”

“ _Looking forward to it. Take care, Fox. Say hi to Krystal for me._ ”

Fox smiled. “Will do, buddy.” He then hung up and turned to Krystal watching anxiously on the stool across from him. “Slippy says hi.”

“He’s always been a sweetheart,” Krystal said with a sullen smile. “I hope he’s not still hurt by what I did.”

“Nah, he sounded pretty forgiving,” Fox shook his head. “Falco seems to be a little sore, still. But don’t worry about him. I’ll deal with that idiot if he starts anything.”

Krystal nodded, lowering her gaze. “Is it really alright for me to go see them? The last thing I gave them to remember me by was a stab in the back.”

“It’ll be fine,” Fox wrapped his arms around her. “Save Falco, I’m sure everyone will be happy to see you again. You can make amends and we’ll then finally put that part of our lives behind us.”

Krystal leaned into him. “I hope so.”

“I know so.” Fox kissed her hair. “In the meantime, what would you like to do after Marcus’s game? We could take him out for ice cream. Or see a movie. Maybe a little spending spree at the mall?”

“Those do sound nice,” Krystal purred. “Maybe all three?”

“Good choice. And maybe on the field, Marcus can show you how he plays football like a Cerinian.”

Krystal laughed. “Good grief. I might as well teach him some sports that I used to play as a girl.”

“Are they much different to the games kids play around here?”

“You’ll have to see for yourself,” she smirked to him, making Fox pout.

“What happened to no longer keeping secrets?” he arched his brow. “Fine. Keep me in suspense.” He left her giggling after him to give Marcus the good news.

Soon after, as they climbed into the car, Fox looked over his shoulder to his family. It would still take time for their dynamic to settle into its new normal; and there were probably going to be times where Fox and Krystal would get on each other’s nerves. However, as he gazed upon Krystal’s smiling face and she touched his hand, Fox knew in his heart that whatever hurdles arose in their way, they would be ready and able to overcome them together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read this short story. I'm quite happy with how it's come together. There's an opportunity for me to write a sequel, but I'll give it some more thought as I turn to other works.


End file.
